The San Francisco-based ride-sharing behemoth, beloved by passengers for its efficiency and derided by critics as an arrogant bully, is being sued by district attorneys in its home city and Los Angeles who say Uber is misleading its customers and charging them fraudulent fees to get across town.

At the same time, the DAs announced a settlement of a similar action they had brought against Uber’s archrival, Lyft, which will pay a $250,000 fine and come clean with its passengers, or else face a second $250,000 fine next year.

In a joint statement from San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, the pair announced the filing of a civil consumer protection action against Uber Technologies Inc. “for making false or misleading statements to consumers and for engaging in a variety of business practices which violate California law.

“Uber has refused to comply with straightforward California laws that protect consumers from fraud and harm,” the statement said. “These companies can be innovative in the way they deliver services without ignoring the laws that protect the public.”

In a separate statement praising Lyft for playing ball with the DAs, Gascón and Lacey said the settlement with that company “demonstrates that technical innovation and corporate responsibility are not incompatible. We commend Lyft for its willingness to work with law enforcement to ensure compliance with the laws that protect California consumers.”

Both companies promptly issued news releases, trying to spin the news in their favor.

Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said “Californians and California lawmakers all agree — Uber is an integral, safe and established part of the transportation ecosystem in the Golden State” and said the company would “continue to engage in discussions with the district attorneys.”

Lyft spokeswoman Erin Simpson said “after months of productive conversations, Lyft has entered into an agreement with district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles that demonstrates our shared commitment to consumers and innovation.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sidecar, the third member of the ride-sharing triumvirate, said it was still talking with the DA offices about similar issues.

According to the complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court Tuesday, which seeks a permanent injunction against Uber and civil penalties for its affected passengers, the company continues to break the law, violating sections of the California Business and Professions Code by doing the following:

making “untrue or misleading representations regarding the quality of the background checks it performs on drivers;”

charging its UberX customers a $1 “Safe Rides Fee” and falsely telling its customers “that part of that money was paying for an ‘industry-leading’ background check process;”

using a mobile app that illegally calculates passenger fares because the technology used to measure time and distance have not been certified by state officials;

and unlawfully conducting “commercial operations at California airports without obtaining authorization from the airport authorities.”

The DAs’ actions are the latest in a long line of controversies swirling around the ride-sharing world, particularly in the intense rivalry between Uber, the largest company, and second-place Lyft. Companies have been accused of trying to steal one another’s drivers, while critics blast the industry as out-of-control capitalism and some passengers complain about being gouged.

Patrick May is an award-winning writer for the Bay Area News Group working with the business desk as a general assignment reporter. Over his 34 years in daily newspapers, he has traveled overseas and around the nation, covering wars and natural disasters, writing both breaking news stories and human-interest features. He has won numerous national and regional writing awards during his years as a reporter, 17 of them spent at the Miami Herald.